Haze is a game that had a decent amount of hype to live up to. Free Radical, one of the more popular dev teams at Ubisoft, was responsible for this PS3-exclusive first person shooter. As we all well know, the Playstation 3 console needs as many games as it can get, and Haze should have been a stand out title. Unfortunately, the game is more like an ironic flashback to FPS days gone by, an experience that seems taken from last generation.

The idea behind the game is actually a decently unique premise. Set in the near future, a multi-national conglomerate corporation hires a militia to quash a rebel army that is causing them and their properties trouble. The twist is that as a soldier for the Mantel Corporation, you have access to Nectar. Nectar is a clever name for what is more or less a very powerful amphetamine-type drug. As you progress through the levels, you will be able to inject yourself with “Nectar” when you need an extra boost.

At first, you happily accept the story you are told about the rebels and their evil plans to steal the company’s Nectar supply. As the game progress, of course, you start to have second thoughts about what is really going on in the places you are sent to. To add to your suspicious, your Nectar supply sometimes goes haywire and causes hallucinations and blindness. Normally, it is only supposed to make enemies stand out more by glowing, and make you a bit more impervious to damage. As with any drug, though, there are side effects. Basically, the use of the drug makes the game like shooting fish in a barrel. Oh, and, if you run out, you can steal Nectar from your teammates.

The rebels, on the other hand, have their own set of abilities that help to even the playing field. Foremost of these abilities is the ability to play dead. When health is low, a tap of the L2 button will make you drop down and fall out of sight of the Mantel troops. Rebels can also scavenge ammunition from fallen enemies, and can lay grenade trap mines for the Mantel troops. The rebels can also stun enemies with a special melee attack that can be followed up by a special move that will snatch the weapon from the hands of your foe. Lastly, rebels can even sabotage Nectar packs so that Mantel troops who use the sabotaged packs are at a high risk of overdose, which is not good, to say the least.